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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) | |
| 9.39pm GMT | |
| 21:39 | |
| A group of open-government watchdog groups have come together to call on president-elect Donald Trump to place his considerable personal financial and business holdings in a “true blind trust” to combat what the groups characterized as the innumerable conflicts of interest between his role as the head of the Trump Organization and that of the leader of the free world. | |
| “We are writing to urge you to place all of your business assets and investments into a genuine blind trust or the equivalent,” the organizations wrote in a letter addressed to the president-elect. “This means that control of these assets would be transferred to an independent trustee who would sell the assets and place the proceeds in investments which do not create conflicts of interest and which are not disclosed to you.” | |
| Trump has vowed in the past to put his holdings in a “blind trust” controlled by his children, which would actually be almost the opposite of a blind trust, in particular after it came to light that the transition team had requested security clearances for Trump’s three adult children, all of whom are employed by the Trump Organization. | |
| “We understand that this arrangement would require you to sever your relationship with the businesses that bear your name and with which you have invested a life’s work,” the letter’s authors stated, “but whatever the personal discomfort caused, there is no acceptable alternative – and your duties to the American people now must prevail over your personal ties to the Trump Organization businesses.” | |
| Failure to do so, the organizations warned, “will create conflicts of interest of unprecedented magnitude,” touching on issues including “tax policy, standards for government contractors, consumer protection, the functioning of the civil justice system, financial regulation, labor rights and workplace safety and health standards, and bankruptcy law.” | |
| The letter’s signatories include the Campaign for Accountability, the Campaign Legal Center, the Center for American Progress, the Center for Media and Democracy, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Common Cause, Democracy 21, former chief White House ethics lawyer Norm Eisen, Essential Information, Issue One, Thomas E. Mann, OpentheGovernment.Org, Norman Ornstein, former White House ethics lawyer Richard Painter, the People for the American Way, the Project on Government Oversight, Public Citizen and the Sunlight Foundation | |
| 9.17pm GMT | 9.17pm GMT |
| 21:17 | 21:17 |
| Donald Trump to hold 'victory tour' of states won in election | 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! | 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.” | “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. | Trump carried 30 states, not including the as-yet unfinalized results from Michigan, in last week’s election. |
| 9.10pm GMT | 9.10pm GMT |
| 21:10 | 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.” | 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. | “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. | 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.” | “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.” | 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 | Updated |
| at 9.10pm GMT | at 9.10pm GMT |
| 9.05pm GMT | 9.05pm GMT |
| 21:05 | 21:05 |
| Nicky Woolf | Nicky Woolf |
| Robert thought hard about the exact number of Syrian refugees he wanted to place in Native American reservations. | 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: | 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 | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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 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.” | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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 GMT | 8.41pm GMT |
| 20:41 | 20:41 |
| 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/55HAWPjrfD | 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/55HAWPjrfD |
| 8.37pm GMT | 8.37pm GMT |
| 20:37 | 20:37 |
| 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 GMT | 8.33pm GMT |
| 20:33 | 20:33 |
| Ohio congressman to challenge Nancy Pelosi for House Democratic leadership | Ohio 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 GMT | 8.01pm GMT |
| 20:01 | 20:01 |
| 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: |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 8.07pm GMT | at 8.07pm GMT |
| 7.58pm GMT | 7.58pm GMT |
| 19:58 | 19:58 |
| Gingrich says he won't be in cabinet | Gingrich 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 GMT | 7.54pm GMT |
| 19:54 | 19:54 |
| 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 GMT | 7.34pm GMT |
| 19:34 | 19:34 |
| Trump is planning 'victory tour,' aide says | Trump 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 GMT | 7.18pm GMT |
| 19:18 | 19:18 |
| 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 GMT | 7.14pm GMT |
| 19:14 | 19:14 |
| CSPAN is periscoping from Trump tower: | CSPAN is periscoping from Trump tower: |
| LIVE on #Periscope: WATCH: #Trump Tower Live Stream https://t.co/olwCO5h34K | LIVE on #Periscope: WATCH: #Trump Tower Live Stream https://t.co/olwCO5h34K |