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Trump cabinet picks: president-elect looks to make decisions on posts – politics live Trump cabinet picks: president-elect looks to make decisions on posts – politics live
(35 minutes later)
9.17pm GMT
21:17
Donald Trump to hold 'victory tour' of states won in election
President-elect Donald Trump plans to launch a “victory tour” of the states that he won in last week’s presidential election in “the next couple of weeks,” according to a campaign aide - a sentence we never thought we’d be typing and yet here we are!
“We’re working on a victory tour now; it will happen in the next couple of weeks,” George Gigicos, Trump’s advance team director, told pool reporters at Trump Tower this afternoon. The tour, while not fully planned at the moment, will ferry the president-elect “obviously to the states that we won and the swing states we flipped over.”
Trump carried 30 states, not including the as-yet unfinalized results from Michigan, in last week’s election.
9.10pm GMT
21:10
At Trump Tower this afternoon, Alabama senator Jeff Sessions told members of president-elect Donald Trump’s transition pool that the controversial appointment of Breitbart chairman Steve Bannon as Trump’s chief strategist and senior counsel makes for “a good team.”
“Steve Bannon is a powerful, analytic and thoughtful leader, who consistently provides good advice, so it’s a good team,” Sessions said.
As for his own ambitions for serving in the Trump administration, Sessions was coy.
“I’d be honored to be considered, but Mr. Trump will make those decisions,” Sessions said. “If he asked me, I’ll share with him but I’m not talking about my agenda at this point. I’d be pleased to continue to serve in the Senate. I’ve got a lot of work to do there but I do feel from my conversations that the House and the Senate are charged up. They believe they’ve got a new leader, that the president will be the one that sets the agenda and the whole Congress will be supported.”
Sessions called rumors that Trump will meet with former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney “good,” telling the press that “there are a lot of talented people that he needs good relationships with, and I think Mr. Romney would be quite capable of doing a number of things. But he will be one of those, I am sure, that’s reviewed. Donald Trump will make that decision.”
Updated
at 9.10pm GMT
9.05pm GMT
21:05
Nicky Woolf
Robert thought hard about the exact number of Syrian refugees he wanted to place in Native American reservations.
He originally had decided on 50,000 but thought that sounded too believable. It needed to be more ridiculous. So he wrote his headline:
US to House 250,000 Syrian Refugees at Navajo, Standing Rock Indian Reservations
Of course, that isn’t true in the slightest. But on Facebook, a lie can go around the world before the truth has even been posted.
Robert – who asked that his last name not be used – considers himself a satirist. A glance through his site, Real News Right Now, indeed shows a light, if perhaps too subtle, touch of humor.
Of course, that means not everyone got the joke. Fox News’s Sean Hannity was soon parroting the 250,000 refugees claim. Soon, so was Donald Trump.
Robert was shocked. “That was very unsettling,” he said. “I was, like, this is incredible.”
Robert is 34 and works in hospitality in Washington. “I make a little bit of money each month through ad revenue, but it all goes toward the site’s upkeep and promoting my articles through various social media platforms,” he said. “This is more of a labor of love for me than a profitable enterprise.”
He said he counts his site as satire, like the better-known the Onion.
But the boundary between satire and real news is a vast grey area. Distributed – largely on Facebook – alongside deliberately false stories and partisan coverage, whether pumped out to suck up advertising revenue or for ideological reasons, it might not be immediately obvious to some that Real News Right Now is satire.
The signs are subtle: the fictional journalist behind the site, R Hobbus, is listed as having won the 2011 Stephen Glass Distinction in Journalistic Integrity award – mocking a journalist who was revealed to have falsified sources and information for stories – for one thing. But there is no full disclaimer.
8.41pm GMT8.41pm GMT
20:4120:41
Attorney General Loretta Lynch blasts rhetoric of the election (read: Trump) campaign in speech to new US citizens https://t.co/GphBme4LoA pic.twitter.com/55HAWPjrfDAttorney General Loretta Lynch blasts rhetoric of the election (read: Trump) campaign in speech to new US citizens https://t.co/GphBme4LoA pic.twitter.com/55HAWPjrfD
8.37pm GMT8.37pm GMT
20:3720:37
From the long-suffering transition pool:From the long-suffering transition pool:
Shortly before 3:30pm, the Israeli ambassador to the US gave a statement to the cameras, with Kellyanne Conway on the side.Shortly before 3:30pm, the Israeli ambassador to the US gave a statement to the cameras, with Kellyanne Conway on the side.
“Israel has no doubt that president-elect Trump is a true friend of Israel,” said Ron Dermer, Israeli ambassador to the United States. “We have no doubt that vice president-elect Mike Pence is a true friend of Israel, he was one of Israel’s greatest friends in the Congress, one of the most pro-Israel governors in the country, and we look forward to working with the Trump administration, with all of the members of the Trump administration, including Steve Bannon, and making the US-Israel alliance stronger than ever.”“Israel has no doubt that president-elect Trump is a true friend of Israel,” said Ron Dermer, Israeli ambassador to the United States. “We have no doubt that vice president-elect Mike Pence is a true friend of Israel, he was one of Israel’s greatest friends in the Congress, one of the most pro-Israel governors in the country, and we look forward to working with the Trump administration, with all of the members of the Trump administration, including Steve Bannon, and making the US-Israel alliance stronger than ever.”
Asked why he mentioned specifically Steve Bannon, Dermer did not respond. Kellyanne Conway then led him to the Trump Bar.Asked why he mentioned specifically Steve Bannon, Dermer did not respond. Kellyanne Conway then led him to the Trump Bar.
8.33pm GMT8.33pm GMT
20:3320:33
Ohio congressman to challenge Nancy Pelosi for House Democratic leadershipOhio congressman to challenge Nancy Pelosi for House Democratic leadership
Eight-term Ohio congressman Tim Ryan has declared that he will run for House minority leader Nancy Pelosi’s position as the top figure in House Democratic leadership, writing in a letter to fellow lawmakers that the results of last week’s election calls for “a new voice into leadership.”Eight-term Ohio congressman Tim Ryan has declared that he will run for House minority leader Nancy Pelosi’s position as the top figure in House Democratic leadership, writing in a letter to fellow lawmakers that the results of last week’s election calls for “a new voice into leadership.”
“Last Tuesday’s election will forever be remembered as a major turning point for the United States of America,” Ryan said in a statement announcing his candidacy. “Like many Americans, I was disheartened by the results, but I also realized that Democrats must not let this opportunity for change pass by without a fight.”“Last Tuesday’s election will forever be remembered as a major turning point for the United States of America,” Ryan said in a statement announcing his candidacy. “Like many Americans, I was disheartened by the results, but I also realized that Democrats must not let this opportunity for change pass by without a fight.”
“While having a position in Democratic leadership has never been my life’s ambition, after this election I believe we all need to re-evaluate our roles within the Caucus, the Democratic Party, and our country,” Ryan, who was the youngest member of the House when first elected in 2002, continued. “That is why I am announcing my run for minority leader of the Democratic caucus and humbly request your support.”“While having a position in Democratic leadership has never been my life’s ambition, after this election I believe we all need to re-evaluate our roles within the Caucus, the Democratic Party, and our country,” Ryan, who was the youngest member of the House when first elected in 2002, continued. “That is why I am announcing my run for minority leader of the Democratic caucus and humbly request your support.”
The official vote for the role will not take place until the last day of November, but Pelosi, who served as House speaker when the Democrats controlled the chamber, is seen as a near-sure bet.The official vote for the role will not take place until the last day of November, but Pelosi, who served as House speaker when the Democrats controlled the chamber, is seen as a near-sure bet.
8.01pm GMT8.01pm GMT
20:0120:01
David Petraeus – the former US army general and CIA director who was prosecuted for mishandling classified information – has entered the race to become Donald Trump’s secretary of state, diplomatic sources said on Thursday. Julian Borger and David Smith in Washington have more:David Petraeus – the former US army general and CIA director who was prosecuted for mishandling classified information – has entered the race to become Donald Trump’s secretary of state, diplomatic sources said on Thursday. Julian Borger and David Smith in Washington have more:
Petraeus resigned in November 2012 after the FBI discovered he had had an affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, and had shared classified information with her. He eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for mishandling the information. People who have seen him recently say he is anxious to return to public life and has privately refused to rule out serving in a Trump administration.Petraeus resigned in November 2012 after the FBI discovered he had had an affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, and had shared classified information with her. He eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for mishandling the information. People who have seen him recently say he is anxious to return to public life and has privately refused to rule out serving in a Trump administration.
Petraeus, who was also a US commander in Afghanistan and Iraq, has made flattering remarks about Trump since the election. “He’s right to criticise Washington over its partisanship and its inability to forge compromises,” he told the German cable news channel Deutsche Welle this week. “He’s a dealmaker. Let’s see if he can make some deals in Washington.”Petraeus, who was also a US commander in Afghanistan and Iraq, has made flattering remarks about Trump since the election. “He’s right to criticise Washington over its partisanship and its inability to forge compromises,” he told the German cable news channel Deutsche Welle this week. “He’s a dealmaker. Let’s see if he can make some deals in Washington.”
He added: “This is an individual who is a political outsider. Perhaps he can do something in Washington that the political insiders, who he rightly criticises, have been unable to do, which is to come together to give a little, to gain a lot for our country.”He added: “This is an individual who is a political outsider. Perhaps he can do something in Washington that the political insiders, who he rightly criticises, have been unable to do, which is to come together to give a little, to gain a lot for our country.”
Read the full piece:Read the full piece:
UpdatedUpdated
at 8.07pm GMTat 8.07pm GMT
7.58pm GMT7.58pm GMT
19:5819:58
Gingrich says he won't be in cabinetGingrich says he won't be in cabinet
McClatchy has a scoop: “Mentioned as a possible pick to head the departments of State or Defense, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich won’t serve in the Trump administration, he confirmed to McClatchy on Thursday”:McClatchy has a scoop: “Mentioned as a possible pick to head the departments of State or Defense, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich won’t serve in the Trump administration, he confirmed to McClatchy on Thursday”:
“I will not be in the Cabinet,” Gingrich said, adding that “I intend to be focused on strategic planning.”“I will not be in the Cabinet,” Gingrich said, adding that “I intend to be focused on strategic planning.”
Gingrich did not say whether the decision was his or whether his long ties to official Washington effectively disqualified him from joining President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.Gingrich did not say whether the decision was his or whether his long ties to official Washington effectively disqualified him from joining President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.
7.54pm GMT7.54pm GMT
19:5419:54
Pelosi asked Pence to ask Trump to reconsider the appointment of “Bill Kristol: Renegade Jew” publisher Steve Bannon as senior White House adviser, the Guardian’s Sabrina Siddiqui reports:Pelosi asked Pence to ask Trump to reconsider the appointment of “Bill Kristol: Renegade Jew” publisher Steve Bannon as senior White House adviser, the Guardian’s Sabrina Siddiqui reports:
Aide says Nancy Pelosi told Mike Pence in meeting today to urge Trump to reconsider Steve Bannon appointment.Aide says Nancy Pelosi told Mike Pence in meeting today to urge Trump to reconsider Steve Bannon appointment.
7.34pm GMT7.34pm GMT
19:3419:34
Trump is planning 'victory tour,' aide saysTrump is planning 'victory tour,' aide says
George Gigicos, the campaign’s advance team director, briefly talked about Trump’s first trip with the press pool at Trump tower.George Gigicos, the campaign’s advance team director, briefly talked about Trump’s first trip with the press pool at Trump tower.
“We’re working on a victory tour now, it will happen in the next couple of weeks,” Gigicos said. “After Thanksgiving.”“We’re working on a victory tour now, it will happen in the next couple of weeks,” Gigicos said. “After Thanksgiving.”
Gigicos said the tour would go “obviously to the states that we won and the swing states we flipped over.”Gigicos said the tour would go “obviously to the states that we won and the swing states we flipped over.”
7.18pm GMT7.18pm GMT
19:1819:18
Here’s some Pelosi-Pence footage, via Politico:Here’s some Pelosi-Pence footage, via Politico:
.@NancyPelosi welcomes Vice President-elect @mike_pence: "We had a respectful conversation." pic.twitter.com/7yXeOoknhv.@NancyPelosi welcomes Vice President-elect @mike_pence: "We had a respectful conversation." pic.twitter.com/7yXeOoknhv
7.14pm GMT7.14pm GMT
19:1419:14
CSPAN is periscoping from Trump tower:CSPAN is periscoping from Trump tower:
LIVE on #Periscope: WATCH: #Trump Tower Live Stream https://t.co/olwCO5h34KLIVE on #Periscope: WATCH: #Trump Tower Live Stream https://t.co/olwCO5h34K
7.11pm GMT
19:11
Cheese.
Pelosi and Pence meeting pic.twitter.com/WBq1YDkFib
7.05pm GMT
19:05
Trump 'unbelievably impressed' with senator Sessions
Team Trump releases a statement saying the president-elect is “unbelievably impressed” with senator Jeff Sessions, who endorsed Trump back in February (the first senator and nearly the first member of congress to do so) and has spent much of the last nine months campaigning with him.
"Unbelievably impressed" and "phenomenal" - hint hint? pic.twitter.com/pFghmAfUuV
Sessions may be up for a cabinet post. Let’s call it: after all that work, Sessions is up for something juicy.
Past accusations of racism against Sessions, who’s from Alabama, could potentially complicate any senate confirmation hearing, but on the other had Jeff Sessions has a lot of friends in the senate and he would seem to be quite confirmable.
Read more about Sessions’ skeletons:
Jeff Sessions is known as one of most anti-immigration members of the Senate.
In a rare move, his nomination by Ronald Reagan to be a federal judge was rejected by Congress in 1986 after several attorneys testified that he had made racist comments.
Justice department official Gerald Hebert claimed Sessions had described the respected civil rights campaigns as “un-American”. Hebert also said Sessions had described the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the American Civil Liberties Union as “Communist inspired”. [...]
A prosecutor, Thomas H Figures, told congress Sessions had thought the Ku Klux Klan was “OK until I found they smoked pot”. Sessions said he had been joking and that the comment was so ludicrous he could not think anyone would take him seriously.
Figures, an African-American, also testified that Sessions had called him “boy”. Sessions denied the claim.
Read further:
6.25pm GMT
18:25
Texas congressman Jeb Hensarling, chairman of the House financial services committee, which could assist in the dismantling of Dodd-Frank financial regulations – or not – has just spoken with president-elect Trump about financial reform, he tells the transition pool:
Hensarling exited the elevators shortly after 1pm and briefly addressed the press.
Question: how was the meeting? Did you talk about financial reform?
Jeb Hensarling: “Obviously we talked about financial reform. I just wanted to tell the President-elect I’m on his team. Very excited to help drain the swamp, very excited to help get this economy working for working Americans again. We were talking tax policy, we were talking Dodd Frank, we were talking trade, this was a wonderful conversation, and I stand ready to help the President in any capacity possible. I’ve got a great position in public policy today, if he wants to talk to me obviously, about serving somewhere else, we’ll look at serving somewhere else. But regardless, I’m on his team, I’m excited for what he can do for America, it was just a real honor to be here.
Updated
at 6.26pm GMT
6.16pm GMT
18:16
After a meeting just then with Henry Kissinger, Trump releases a statement saying he appreciates “him sharing his thoughts with me.” Via BuzzFeed’s Rosie Gray:
transition team readout of Trump-Kissinger meeting: pic.twitter.com/ubK29IMVEg
Read further on potential Trump cabinet picks:
5.41pm GMT
17:41
On that Telegraph story we linked to in the intro quoting Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski as saying that Comey called him to tell him about the new email inquiry: the quote has disappeared from the story:
Update: The Telegraph has changed this story without explanation and removed he quote. I don't know why. https://t.co/jAtzHKTeh8
5.40pm GMT
17:40
Obama says presidency will make Trump a fit president
Obama: “Although history does not travel in a straight line, it moves in the direction of justice and freedom... but we have to fight for it.”
Then he argues that the presidency itself will make Trump a fit president:
What makes me cautiously optimistic about my successor and the shift from campaign to governance is there is something about the solemn responsibilities of that office, the extraordinary demands that are placed on the United States not just by its own people but by people around the world, that forces you to focus. That demands seriousness. And if you’re not serious about the job, then you probably won’t be there very long because it will expose problems, even when you’re doing a good job, even when you are attentive, there’s so many things that come across your desk... you figure that out... and I think the president-elect is going to see fairly quickly that the demands and responsibilities of a US president are not ones that you can treat casually. In such a big and diverse country, the only way that you can be successful is by listening and reaching out and working with a wide variety of people.
On Merkel: “I wish I should be there to lighten her burdens somewhat, but she’s tough.”
5.26pm GMT
17:26
Obama on Trump:
He ran an extraordinarily unconventional campaign, and it resulted in perhaps the biggest political upset in modern American political history. He now has to transition...
I said to him that what may work in generating enthusiasm and passions... may be different than what will work in terms of unifying the country. He’s indicated his understanding of that... my hope is that that’s something that he is thinking about, because not only is the president of the United States somebody that the entire country looks to for direction, but sets the agenda internationally, in a lot of ways.
5.24pm GMT
17:24
Obama says sometimes when he listens to the rhetoric in Europe, there’s sometimes a failure to make distinction between the USA and what it stands for and oppressive regimes elsewhere. He says “The United States has been good for Germany.” Across Europe, he says, “many principles that have been taken for granted here, free speech.... fighting corruption” – USA stood up for those. “And that should be remembered,” Obama says.
5.20pm GMT
17:20
Obama warns not to take democracy for granted
Obama:
“One of the great things about our democracy is it expresses itself in all sorts of ways, and that includes people protesting... I would not advise people who feel strongly or are concerned about some of the issues... I wouldn’t advise them to be silent. What I would advise... is that elections matter, voting matters, organizing matters, being informed on the issues matters...
“Do not take for granted our systems of government and our way of life. I think there’s a tendency, because we live in an era that’s been largely stable and peaceful... there’s a tendency to assume that that’s always the case. And it’s not. Democracy is hard work. In the United States, if 43% don’t vote, then democracy is weakened. If we are not concerned about facts, and what’s true and what’s not... if we can’t discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems.”
5.16pm GMT
17:16
The brilliant @darth fixes that Pence selfie (see earlier) with the House Republicans:
hey is that paul ryan@SeanMcElwee pic.twitter.com/wYCPJRql3s