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| Trump camp tries to claim that he never called for a Muslim registry – politics live | Trump camp tries to claim that he never called for a Muslim registry – politics live |
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| 1.21am GMT | |
| 01:21 | |
| AP: Retired general Michael Flynn offered national security advisor role | |
| Retired Army lieutenant general Michael Flynn has been offered the role of national security advisor by president-elect Donald Trump, according to the Associated Press, citing a senior Trump transition official. | |
| The official did not tell the Associated Press whether Flynn had accepted the role or not. | |
| Flynn, 57, was the only national security figure of his rank to publicly align himself with Trump and remained loyal to the businessman throughout his campaign. | |
| While other national security experts criticised and denounced the GOP nominee, Flynn took part in campaign rallies where he led chants against Hillary Clinton, including those that called for her to be locked up. “The enemy camp in this case is Hillary Rodham Clinton,” Flynn said in Florida during the summer. | |
| The three-star general also delivered what was reported to be a “fiery” speech at the Republican national convention, where he lambasted Barack Obama’s “empty speeches and his misguided rhetoric”, which he said had “caused the world to have no respect for America’s word”, or might. | |
| Flynn, who in 2015 declared himself a registered Democrat, held senior positions in the 18th Airborne Corps, at the joint chiefs of staff at the Pentagon and at US central command, which runs US military operations in the Middle East. | |
| Flynn has since proven himself to be a controversial figure and public opponent of Obama’s foreign policy. In his 2016 book, The Field of Fight: How We Can Win the Global War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies, co-authored with the historian and former Reagan administration official Michael Ledeen, he wrote that he is “not a devotee of so-called political correctness”. | |
| He has come under fire for regularly appearing on Russian state-owned television station RT, and once attended a gala hosted by the channel, sitting two places away from the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. He later said his speaker’s bureau had arranged his trip to Russia and that he saw no distinction between RT and other news outlets such as CNN and MSNBC. | |
| Flynn was once opposed to waterboarding and other banned extreme interrogation techniques, but, according to the Washington Post, in reference to Trump’s previously stated openness to reinstating such techniques, he said he “would be reluctant to take options off the table”. Asked by al-Jazeera if he would support Trump’s threat to kill the families of suspected terrorists, he said: “I would have to see the circumstances of that situation.” | |
| In July, Flynn retweeted an antisemitic post by a Trump supporter who mocked the Clinton campaign’s blaming of Russian hackers for leaked emails. The tweet, by a pseudonymous user, read: “CNN implicated. ‘The USSR is to blame!’ Not anymore, Jews. Not anymore.” Flynn later deleted his retweet and apologised, saying it was a mistake and that he had meant to link to an article on Clinton and the DNC emails. | |
| Flynn also tweeted in February that “fear of Muslims is RATIONAL,” a tweet which was never deleted. | |
| Fear of Muslims is RATIONAL: please forward this to others: the truth fears no questions... https://t.co/NLIfKFD9lU | |
| 1.07am GMT | |
| 01:07 | |
| Muslims in Trump's America: realities of Islamophobic presidency begin to sink in | |
| Fariha Nizam was sleepy and stressed last Thursday morning when she boarded the Q43 bus, which cuts through the affluent Queens neighborhood where Donald Trump was raised. | |
| As a Muslim, she was concerned about the newly minted president-elect and his campaign promises that targeted Muslims, immigrants and women. But it wasn’t until an older white couple began yelling at her, 10 minutes into her weekly commute to her internship, that the reality of Trump’s America set in. | |
| “Most of what they were saying was telling me I can’t wear it [the hijab] anymore and telling me to take it off,” Nizam, a Bengali American, said. | |
| The 19-year-old student had heard some Islamophobic comments before, but hadn’t experienced such aggressive harassment in New York City, where she, like Trump, was born and raised. But the stream of verbal abuse forced her to confront a reality she had been trying to avoid – that Trump had actually won. | |
| “I didn’t believe it until the moment this incident occurred,” she said of Trump’s victory. “I don’t think I absorbed it and felt the reality of it, I didn’t. I kept myself distracted all of Wednesday and then Thursday happened and then it hits me, this is actually what’s going on and it was not OK.” | |
| Nizam is one of several Muslims around the country who have spoken to the Guardian about life since Trump’s victory. Trump won the keys to the White House following an incendiary campaign where he proposed a ban on Muslims, said Muslims “hate” Americans and promised a Muslim registry. Kansas secretary of state Kris Kobach, reportedly a key member of Trump’s transition team, said on Tuesday that the president-elect’s advisers are already considering the Muslim registry. | |
| According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the amount of hate crimes reported since election night has been unusually high – as of Tuesday, the civil rights organization had tallied 437 incidents nationwide. | |
| This is the case even in seemingly Muslim-friendly places like New York City, and in Michigan, which has one of the largest concentrations of Muslims in the US. Civil rights groups there have reported an uptick in harassment – with one calling for a hate crime investigation after a Muslim woman in Ann Arbor was allegedly forced to remove her hijab by an unknown white man who, according to police, threatened to set her on fire with a lighter. | |
| In another reported incident, two men shoved an 18-year-old woman wearing a hooded sweatshirt, commented on religion and asked her: “Do you know you’re in America?” | |
| In the traditionally liberal city of Ann Arbor, two alleged incidents of ethnic intimidation and religious bias in a week is unusual, said Detective Lt Matthew Lige of the Ann Arbor police department. | |
| “Certainly Ann Arbor, as a community that prides itself on its diversity, in race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, all those type of things,” he said. “So, for us to have two incidents that fit in this category is unusual and certainly [with] the political climate that we’re in right now, it’s concerning.” | |
| Michigan and New York are home to some of the largest concentrations of Muslims in the US. But it is impossible to say with certainty how many Muslims there are in the country as the Census Bureau does not ask questions about faith. Estimates vary from as few as 3 million to as many as 8 million. Within that overall demographic, there is huge diversity in terms of geography, religious identity and race-cum-ethnicity, which renders any generalizations about the “Muslim community” in America perilous. | |
| 12.44am GMT | 12.44am GMT |
| 00:44 | 00:44 |
| Is it correct that Donald Trump has “never advocated for any registry or system that tracks individuals based on their religion”? | Is it correct that Donald Trump has “never advocated for any registry or system that tracks individuals based on their religion”? |
| Here’s what he told NBC News in November last year: | Here’s what he told NBC News in November last year: |
| Donald Trump “would certainly implement” a database system tracking Muslims in the United States, the Republican front-runner told NBC News on Thursday night. | Donald Trump “would certainly implement” a database system tracking Muslims in the United States, the Republican front-runner told NBC News on Thursday night. |
| “I would certainly implement that. Absolutely,” Trump said in Newton, Iowa, in between campaign town halls. | “I would certainly implement that. Absolutely,” Trump said in Newton, Iowa, in between campaign town halls. |
| “There should be a lot of systems, beyond databases,” he added. “We should have a lot of systems.” | “There should be a lot of systems, beyond databases,” he added. “We should have a lot of systems.” |
| When asked whether Muslims would be legally obligated to sign into the database, Trump responded, “They have to be – they have to be.” Later, Trump was repeatedly asked to explain the difference between requiring Muslims to enter their information into a database and making Jewish people register in Nazi Germany. He responded four times by saying: “You tell me.” | When asked whether Muslims would be legally obligated to sign into the database, Trump responded, “They have to be – they have to be.” Later, Trump was repeatedly asked to explain the difference between requiring Muslims to enter their information into a database and making Jewish people register in Nazi Germany. He responded four times by saying: “You tell me.” |
| 12.40am GMT | 12.40am GMT |
| 00:40 | 00:40 |
| Statement from Trump team on 'Muslim registry' | Statement from Trump team on 'Muslim registry' |
| Jason Miller, communications director for the Trump transition team, has released this statement in response to reports that the incoming administration has been considering a register for Muslims arriving in the US: | Jason Miller, communications director for the Trump transition team, has released this statement in response to reports that the incoming administration has been considering a register for Muslims arriving in the US: |
| President-elect Trump has never advocated for any registry or system that tracks individuals based on their religion, and to imply otherwise is completely false. | President-elect Trump has never advocated for any registry or system that tracks individuals based on their religion, and to imply otherwise is completely false. |
| The national registry of foreign visitors from countries with high terrorism activity that was in place during the Bush and Obama administrations gave intelligence and law enforcement communities additional tools to keep our country safe, but the president-elect plans on releasing his own vetting policies after he is sworn in. | The national registry of foreign visitors from countries with high terrorism activity that was in place during the Bush and Obama administrations gave intelligence and law enforcement communities additional tools to keep our country safe, but the president-elect plans on releasing his own vetting policies after he is sworn in. |
| 12.32am GMT | 12.32am GMT |
| 00:32 | 00:32 |
| Barack Obama is the latest figure to speak out about fake news on Facebook and other media platforms, suggesting that it helped undermine the US political process, Olivia Solon reports: | Barack Obama is the latest figure to speak out about fake news on Facebook and other media platforms, suggesting that it helped undermine the US political process, Olivia Solon reports: |
| “If we are not serious about facts and what’s true and what’s not, if we can’t discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems,” he said during a press conference in Germany. | “If we are not serious about facts and what’s true and what’s not, if we can’t discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems,” he said during a press conference in Germany. |
| Since the surprise election of Donald Trump as president-elect, Facebook has battled accusations that it has failed to stem the flow of misinformation on its network and that its business model leads to users becoming divided into polarized political echo chambers. | Since the surprise election of Donald Trump as president-elect, Facebook has battled accusations that it has failed to stem the flow of misinformation on its network and that its business model leads to users becoming divided into polarized political echo chambers. |
| Obama said that we live in an age with “so much active misinformation” that is “packaged very well” and looks the same whether it’s on Facebook or on TV. | Obama said that we live in an age with “so much active misinformation” that is “packaged very well” and looks the same whether it’s on Facebook or on TV. |
| “If everything seems to be the same and no distinctions are made, then we won’t know what to protect. We won’t know what to fight for. And we can lose so much of what we’ve gained in terms of the kind of democratic freedoms and market-based economies and prosperity that we’ve come to take for granted,” he said. | “If everything seems to be the same and no distinctions are made, then we won’t know what to protect. We won’t know what to fight for. And we can lose so much of what we’ve gained in terms of the kind of democratic freedoms and market-based economies and prosperity that we’ve come to take for granted,” he said. |
| 12.21am GMT | 12.21am GMT |
| 00:21 | 00:21 |
| David Smith | David Smith |
| The Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, became the first world leader to meet the president-elect. Their conversation lasted around 90 minutes.Speaking through an interpreter, Abe told reporters: | The Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, became the first world leader to meet the president-elect. Their conversation lasted around 90 minutes.Speaking through an interpreter, Abe told reporters: |
| We spent a substantial amount of time together for our very candid discussion and, as a matter of fact, the atmosphere of the meeting was really, really cordial. | We spent a substantial amount of time together for our very candid discussion and, as a matter of fact, the atmosphere of the meeting was really, really cordial. |
| I renewed my conviction that together with Mr Trump I will be able to establish a relationship of trust. Also, with regard to the content of the discussion, I’d first like to tell you that I conveyed my views on basic issues to Mr Trump. | I renewed my conviction that together with Mr Trump I will be able to establish a relationship of trust. Also, with regard to the content of the discussion, I’d first like to tell you that I conveyed my views on basic issues to Mr Trump. |
| Asked whether Japan faced pressure from Trump to increase its defence contribution, Abe replied: | Asked whether Japan faced pressure from Trump to increase its defence contribution, Abe replied: |
| I am not going to dive into details or specifics about today’s discussion with President-elect Trump. However, I do believe that without confidence between the two nations, alliance would never function in the future. | I am not going to dive into details or specifics about today’s discussion with President-elect Trump. However, I do believe that without confidence between the two nations, alliance would never function in the future. |
| As the outcome of today’s discussion, I am convinced that Mr Trump is a leader who I can have great confidence in. | As the outcome of today’s discussion, I am convinced that Mr Trump is a leader who I can have great confidence in. |
| 12.03am GMT | 12.03am GMT |
| 00:03 | 00:03 |
| Claire Phipps | Claire Phipps |
| The meeting between the US president-elect and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has finished, with the pair spending about 90 minutes together at Trump Tower. | The meeting between the US president-elect and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has finished, with the pair spending about 90 minutes together at Trump Tower. |
| In what was Trump’s first meeting with a foreign leader, Abe was expected to press him about the future and “build trust” after the Republican on the campaign trail made repeated references to shaking up the longstanding alliance on why Tokyo relies for its national security. | In what was Trump’s first meeting with a foreign leader, Abe was expected to press him about the future and “build trust” after the Republican on the campaign trail made repeated references to shaking up the longstanding alliance on why Tokyo relies for its national security. |
| Speaking afterwards, Abe said the meeting was “very, very cordial”, but stressed the talks were “unofficial” as Trump is not yet in the White House. | Speaking afterwards, Abe said the meeting was “very, very cordial”, but stressed the talks were “unofficial” as Trump is not yet in the White House. |
| He gave no specifics of what was discussed, but described Trump as “a reliable leader” whom Japan could count on. | He gave no specifics of what was discussed, but described Trump as “a reliable leader” whom Japan could count on. |
| 11.22pm GMT | 11.22pm GMT |
| 23:22 | 23:22 |
| Donald Trump appears with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe | Donald Trump appears with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe |
| Watch it live here: | Watch it live here: |
| 11.05pm GMT | 11.05pm GMT |
| 23:05 | 23:05 |
| Oliver Laughland | Oliver Laughland |
| Young migrant children held in one of the most controversial privatised detention centres in the US have been banned from playing with crayons after staff members accused them of causing damage to property. | Young migrant children held in one of the most controversial privatised detention centres in the US have been banned from playing with crayons after staff members accused them of causing damage to property. |
| The move has been branded as unnecessarily punitive by lawyers working on behalf of 600 mothers and children detained at the Karnes detention centre in Texas. | The move has been branded as unnecessarily punitive by lawyers working on behalf of 600 mothers and children detained at the Karnes detention centre in Texas. |
| The centre at Karnes is one of three federal facilities that holds migrant mothers and children. These family centres are one of the most controversial elements of the Obama administration’s border protection program, which looks set to rapidly expand under the incoming Trump presidency. | The centre at Karnes is one of three federal facilities that holds migrant mothers and children. These family centres are one of the most controversial elements of the Obama administration’s border protection program, which looks set to rapidly expand under the incoming Trump presidency. |
| A spokeswoman for the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (Raices), which provides pro bono legal support to detainees at Karnes, said detention centre staff enforced the ban after accusing children of damaging a table as they drew inside the prison’s visitation centre last week. The damage is said to have occurred as some mothers were taking legal advice. | A spokeswoman for the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (Raices), which provides pro bono legal support to detainees at Karnes, said detention centre staff enforced the ban after accusing children of damaging a table as they drew inside the prison’s visitation centre last week. The damage is said to have occurred as some mothers were taking legal advice. |
| In email correspondence seen by the Guardian, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) staff state the punishment was “an action resulting from crayons which RAICES staff/volunteers have given children which has caused property damage to the contractor”. | In email correspondence seen by the Guardian, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) staff state the punishment was “an action resulting from crayons which RAICES staff/volunteers have given children which has caused property damage to the contractor”. |
| The GEO group, the $2bn global security company that operates the centre, has made over $57m from it since November last year, according to local media reports. | The GEO group, the $2bn global security company that operates the centre, has made over $57m from it since November last year, according to local media reports. |
| The company did not respond to a request for comment. | The company did not respond to a request for comment. |
| 10.21pm GMT | 10.21pm GMT |
| 22:21 | 22:21 |
| Hotel heiress and vapid gadabout Paris Hilton has revealed that she cast her vote last week for president-elect Donald Trump, in part because “I’ve known him since I’m a little girl.” | Hotel heiress and vapid gadabout Paris Hilton has revealed that she cast her vote last week for president-elect Donald Trump, in part because “I’ve known him since I’m a little girl.” |
| Hilton was asked about Trump during an interview on an Australian television network. | Hilton was asked about Trump during an interview on an Australian television network. |
| Trump, too, remembered his old friendship with Hilton, telling radio host Howard Stern in 2003 that he found the then-12-year-old girl attractive. | Trump, too, remembered his old friendship with Hilton, telling radio host Howard Stern in 2003 that he found the then-12-year-old girl attractive. |
| “Somebody who a lot of people don’t give credit to, but in actuality is really beautiful is Paris Hilton,” Trump said at the time. “I’ve known Paris from the time she was 12.” | “Somebody who a lot of people don’t give credit to, but in actuality is really beautiful is Paris Hilton,” Trump said at the time. “I’ve known Paris from the time she was 12.” |
| 10.13pm GMT | 10.13pm GMT |
| 22:13 | 22:13 |
| The Jerusalem Post reports that Donald Trump will name Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel: | The Jerusalem Post reports that Donald Trump will name Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel: |
| Exclusive: Heard from good source who spoke 2 multiple people on Trump transition team that next US ambassador 2 Israel = @GovMikeHuckabee. | Exclusive: Heard from good source who spoke 2 multiple people on Trump transition team that next US ambassador 2 Israel = @GovMikeHuckabee. |
| 10.07pm GMT | 10.07pm GMT |
| 22:07 | 22:07 |
| Rupert Neate | Rupert Neate |
| Mexico’s central bank raised interest rates on Thursday in an attempt to shore up the country’s currency, which has collapsed following Donald Trump’s election as US president. | Mexico’s central bank raised interest rates on Thursday in an attempt to shore up the country’s currency, which has collapsed following Donald Trump’s election as US president. |
| The Banco de México raised its key interest rate by 0.5% to 5.25% as it warned that the global economy had become “more complex” as a “consequence of the electoral process carried out in the United States and its result”. The increase in the rate from 4.75-5.25% takes it to its highest since 2009. | The Banco de México raised its key interest rate by 0.5% to 5.25% as it warned that the global economy had become “more complex” as a “consequence of the electoral process carried out in the United States and its result”. The increase in the rate from 4.75-5.25% takes it to its highest since 2009. |
| It is the third time this year that Mexico has raised interest rates, including a hike in September in response to Trump’s surge in the polls ahead of the election. | It is the third time this year that Mexico has raised interest rates, including a hike in September in response to Trump’s surge in the polls ahead of the election. |
| The peso plunged 13% against the dollar in the days following the US election, as traders feared the implications of a Trump presidency. The currency, which had recovered to 10% down, fell about 1% on Thursday following the central bank’s announcement. The peso is the second-worst performing currency in the world, after the pound which collapsed following Britain’s vote in June to leave the European Union. | The peso plunged 13% against the dollar in the days following the US election, as traders feared the implications of a Trump presidency. The currency, which had recovered to 10% down, fell about 1% on Thursday following the central bank’s announcement. The peso is the second-worst performing currency in the world, after the pound which collapsed following Britain’s vote in June to leave the European Union. |
| Trump has threatened to deport millions of “illegal” Mexican immigrants from the US, build a wall along the frontier and pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta). More than 80% of Mexico’s exports head north of the border to the US or Canada. | Trump has threatened to deport millions of “illegal” Mexican immigrants from the US, build a wall along the frontier and pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta). More than 80% of Mexico’s exports head north of the border to the US or Canada. |
| 9.39pm GMT | 9.39pm GMT |
| 21:39 | 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. | 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.” | “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. | 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.” | “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.” | 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 | 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 |