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Donald Trump Cancels New York Times Meeting and Pursues Battles With the Press Trump Reinstates New York Times Meeting While Pulling Back on Pursuing Case Against Clinton
(35 minutes later)
President-elect Donald J. Trump woke up on Tuesday to announce on Twitter that he was canceling a planned meeting with the “failing” New York Times, but would move ahead with meetings to form his government “for the next 8 years.” The news media continues to be his foil of choice. His senior adviser, Kellyanne Conway, said Tuesday that the Trump administration would not pursue charges against Hillary Clinton. President-elect Donald J. Trump canceled — then reinstated — a meeting with the “failing” New York Times on Tuesday afternoon, which shows that he is true to his word: He did tell the nation he wanted to keep us guessing. Also, his senior adviser, Kellyanne Conway, said that the Trump administration would not pursue charges against Hillary Clinton, as the candidate had vowed during the campaign. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump has let it be known on Twitter that he is building a government for an eight-year stay.
Kellyanne Conway, Mr. Trump’s senior adviser, broke news on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program that the incoming administration will not pursue the investigation of Mrs. Clinton’s personal email server or the Clinton Foundation. The president-elect has reversed course, saying he will meet with The New York Times, three hours after announcing via Twitter that he would not be taking questions from some of the newspaper’s editors and reporters..
The meeting will be mostly on the record, unlike his meeting with television news executives on Monday.
The reversal was enough to induce whiplash. Just after 6 a.m., the president-elect took to Twitter to say:
The “just announced” tweet appears to be a reference to The Times’s public editor, an independent ombudsman, who did indeed say a surge of letters to the editor since the election rivals the one that followed the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Online comment sections and calls to the public editor are similarly swelling. Some commenters are complaining of overly harsh treatment of Mr. Trump, but many others are angry that The Times was too sanguine about Hillary Clinton’s victory prospects.
The Times’s senior vice president for communications, Eileen M. Murphy, responded:
Despite the off-again on-again announcements, work does continue at Trump Tower.
Ms. Conway broke news on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program that the incoming administration will not pursue the investigation of Mrs. Clinton’s personal email server or the Clinton Foundation.
The F.B.I. had already said there were no criminal charges to pursue in the email matter, but that did not stop Candidate Trump from making the case.The F.B.I. had already said there were no criminal charges to pursue in the email matter, but that did not stop Candidate Trump from making the case.
Ms. Conway said Tuesday that it is now Mr. Trump’s intention to move beyond the issues of the campaign and focus on the task of running the country instead. “If Donald Trump can help her heal, then perhaps that’s a good thing,” Ms. Conway said on the MSNBC program.Ms. Conway said Tuesday that it is now Mr. Trump’s intention to move beyond the issues of the campaign and focus on the task of running the country instead. “If Donald Trump can help her heal, then perhaps that’s a good thing,” Ms. Conway said on the MSNBC program.
Of course, the attorney general is supposed to be independent, but things may not work the usual way with President Trump.Of course, the attorney general is supposed to be independent, but things may not work the usual way with President Trump.
“I think when the president-elect, who’s also the head of your party, tells you before he’s even inaugurated that he doesn’t wish to pursue these charges, it sends a very strong message, tone and content” to fellow Republicans, Ms. Conway said.“I think when the president-elect, who’s also the head of your party, tells you before he’s even inaugurated that he doesn’t wish to pursue these charges, it sends a very strong message, tone and content” to fellow Republicans, Ms. Conway said.
Mr. Trump famously told the world and Mrs. Clinton during a presidential debate that he would appoint a special prosecutor if elected with the express purpose of putting his political opponent in jail.Mr. Trump famously told the world and Mrs. Clinton during a presidential debate that he would appoint a special prosecutor if elected with the express purpose of putting his political opponent in jail.
There may be a practical reason the new president would pull back. The latest tally shows Mrs. Clinton leading Mr. Trump in the popular vote by 1,752,899 votes. Pursuing her might not prove very popular.There may be a practical reason the new president would pull back. The latest tally shows Mrs. Clinton leading Mr. Trump in the popular vote by 1,752,899 votes. Pursuing her might not prove very popular.
With reporters and editors set to go, the president-elect announced via Twitter around 6 a.m. that he would not be taking questions from The New York Times, which were to be mostly on the record, unlike his meeting with television news executives on Monday. Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who is expected to serve somewhere in the new administration, told the news media at Trump Tower that the president-elect was making a tough call.
The “just announced” tweet appears to be a reference to The Times’s public editor, an independent ombudsman, who did indeed say a surge of letters to the editor since the election rivals the one that followed the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Online comment sections and calls to the public editor are similarly swelling. Some commenters are complaining of overly harsh treatment of Mr. Trump, but many others are angry that The Times was too sanguine about Hillary Clinton’s victory prospects. “Look, there’s a tradition in American politics that after you win an election, you sort of put things behind you,” Mr. Giuliani said. “And if that’s the decision he reached, that’s perfectly consistent with sort of a historical pattern of things come up, you say a lot of things, even some bad things might happen, and then you can sort of put it behind you in order to unite the nation. So if he made that decision, I would be supportive of it. I’d also be supportive of continuing the investigation.”
The Times’s senior vice president for communications, Eileen M. Murphy, responded: David Fahrenthod of The Washington Post continues his dogged pursuit of the Trump Foundation, reporting Tuesday that the president-elect’s charitable organization has apparently admitted that it violated the legal prohibition against “self-dealing.”
Never fear, though: Work continues at Trump Tower. That prohibition prohibits nonprofit leaders from using their charity’s money to help themselves, their businesses, or their families. The news came in a tax filing for 2015 that was posted on the nonprofit tracking service Guidestar on Monday — less than two weeks after Election Day.
Her leadership is being challenged. The complaints about an aging slate of commanders are growing louder.Her leadership is being challenged. The complaints about an aging slate of commanders are growing louder.
So Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, 76, the House minority leader, has issued a plan.So Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, 76, the House minority leader, has issued a plan.
In a letter to House Democrats on Tuesday night, she promised to create No. 2 posts on each House committee to be filled by a Democrat with four terms or less in the House. When the post of assistant Democratic leader (now filled by Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina, who is also 76) is vacant, it will be filled via an election with a member who has served three terms or less.In a letter to House Democrats on Tuesday night, she promised to create No. 2 posts on each House committee to be filled by a Democrat with four terms or less in the House. When the post of assistant Democratic leader (now filled by Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina, who is also 76) is vacant, it will be filled via an election with a member who has served three terms or less.
(The No. 2 House Democrat, Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland, is 77.)(The No. 2 House Democrat, Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland, is 77.)
Other offers were made along with a vow to fight any effort by the Republican leadership and Mr. Trump to privatize the Veterans Affairs hospitals and add private insurance vouchers to compete with fee-for-service Medicare.Other offers were made along with a vow to fight any effort by the Republican leadership and Mr. Trump to privatize the Veterans Affairs hospitals and add private insurance vouchers to compete with fee-for-service Medicare.
Mr. Trump will hunker down in Trump Tower on Tuesday for one last day of cabinet deliberations before heading to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., for Thanksgiving.Mr. Trump will hunker down in Trump Tower on Tuesday for one last day of cabinet deliberations before heading to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., for Thanksgiving.
One thing he has not done for months is hold a news conference in which he takes questions from the national reporters who have spent months covering him. Asked whether he would soon hold a news conference — something President-elect Barack Obama did three days after the election in 2008 — Ms. Conway said he would, but declined to say when.One thing he has not done for months is hold a news conference in which he takes questions from the national reporters who have spent months covering him. Asked whether he would soon hold a news conference — something President-elect Barack Obama did three days after the election in 2008 — Ms. Conway said he would, but declined to say when.
“The man works 18 hours a day, interviewing people, taking calls from all around the world,” she said. “He will have a press conference in due course.”“The man works 18 hours a day, interviewing people, taking calls from all around the world,” she said. “He will have a press conference in due course.”
In the meantime, Mr. Trump is headed late Tuesday or early Wednesday for Florida, where aides said he would spend Thanksgiving with his family before getting back to work on assembling his administration.In the meantime, Mr. Trump is headed late Tuesday or early Wednesday for Florida, where aides said he would spend Thanksgiving with his family before getting back to work on assembling his administration.
Despite a flurry of activity over the last several days, including more than two dozen interviews with potential cabinet appointees, the pace of announcements from Trump Tower has slowed to a crawl.Despite a flurry of activity over the last several days, including more than two dozen interviews with potential cabinet appointees, the pace of announcements from Trump Tower has slowed to a crawl.
Aides to Mr. Trump say they are unconcerned and will not be pushed by the expectations of journalists or others to make announcements before they are ready.Aides to Mr. Trump say they are unconcerned and will not be pushed by the expectations of journalists or others to make announcements before they are ready.
Mr. Trump was quick to announce his chief of staff and several members of his national security team. But on Monday, Ms. Conway continued to toy with reporters about the timing of any further announcements.Mr. Trump was quick to announce his chief of staff and several members of his national security team. But on Monday, Ms. Conway continued to toy with reporters about the timing of any further announcements.
“It could come this week,” she said. “It could come today. But we’re not in a rush to publish names just because everybody is looking for the next story, respectfully. You have got to get it right. We know we are ahead of schedule when you compare to previous presidents-elect.”“It could come this week,” she said. “It could come today. But we’re not in a rush to publish names just because everybody is looking for the next story, respectfully. You have got to get it right. We know we are ahead of schedule when you compare to previous presidents-elect.”
That is true. Mr. Obama did not make any major cabinet announcements until after the Thanksgiving break in 2008. It could be that Mr. Trump keeps his counsel on any other major announcements until then, as well. That would mean that decisions about who will be chosen for secretary of state — Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mitt Romney or someone else — might not come until December. That is true. Mr. Obama did not make any major cabinet announcements until after the Thanksgiving break in 2008. It could be that Mr. Trump keeps his counsel on any other major announcements until then, as well. That would mean that decisions about who will be chosen for secretary of state — Mr. Giuliani, Mitt Romney or someone else — might not come until December.
Or they could come sooner.Or they could come sooner.
President Obama continues to whittle down his bucket list. On Tuesday, he will present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to an assortment of popular athletes, singers and actors. It is Mr. Obama’s last chance to bestow the honor, and he has taken full advantage by assembling a who’s who of personal favorites.President Obama continues to whittle down his bucket list. On Tuesday, he will present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to an assortment of popular athletes, singers and actors. It is Mr. Obama’s last chance to bestow the honor, and he has taken full advantage by assembling a who’s who of personal favorites.
Among those receiving the honor will be the basketball greats Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; the musical stars Bruce Springsteen and Diana Ross; and the actors Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks, Robert Redford and Cicely Tyson. Other luminaries attending include Bill and Melinda Gates and Lorne Michaels, the creator and executive producer of “Saturday Night Live.”Among those receiving the honor will be the basketball greats Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; the musical stars Bruce Springsteen and Diana Ross; and the actors Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks, Robert Redford and Cicely Tyson. Other luminaries attending include Bill and Melinda Gates and Lorne Michaels, the creator and executive producer of “Saturday Night Live.”