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| Sarah Palin for Veterans Affairs? A Wrestling Impresario for Small Business? | Sarah Palin for Veterans Affairs? A Wrestling Impresario for Small Business? |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| President-elect Donald J. Trump wants to keep New York’s crusading United States attorney on board, and is reportedly eyeing the professional wrestling impresario Linda McMahon for the Small Business Administration. And a new name has popped up to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs: Sarah Palin. | President-elect Donald J. Trump wants to keep New York’s crusading United States attorney on board, and is reportedly eyeing the professional wrestling impresario Linda McMahon for the Small Business Administration. And a new name has popped up to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs: Sarah Palin. |
| The Department of Veterans Affairs’ massive network of hospitals and clinics has been under a microscope since scandalously long waiting lists and allegations of cover-ups burst into public. The management morass seemed so intractable that in 2014, President Obama pushed out a decorated former general, Eric Shinseki, and hired a former chief executive of Procter & Gamble, Robert A. McDonald, to sort it out. | The Department of Veterans Affairs’ massive network of hospitals and clinics has been under a microscope since scandalously long waiting lists and allegations of cover-ups burst into public. The management morass seemed so intractable that in 2014, President Obama pushed out a decorated former general, Eric Shinseki, and hired a former chief executive of Procter & Gamble, Robert A. McDonald, to sort it out. |
| Now, according to people close to the transition, Mr. Trump is thinking of taking Veterans Affairs in a new direction, handing its reins to former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. | |
| Given Mr. Trump’s passionate campaign pledges to the nation’s veterans, the response — if she is chosen — would be ... interesting. | Given Mr. Trump’s passionate campaign pledges to the nation’s veterans, the response — if she is chosen — would be ... interesting. |
| Spotted at Trump Tower on Wednesday afternoon: Linda McMahon, the former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment, an outfit the president-elect has some experience with. | Spotted at Trump Tower on Wednesday afternoon: Linda McMahon, the former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment, an outfit the president-elect has some experience with. |
| “The meeting went great,” she told reporters. “It was really nice to be up, and I was honored to be asked to come in. Anytime I think the president-elect of the United States asks you to come in for a conversation, you’re happy to do that. We talked about business and entrepreneurs and creating jobs, and we talked about S.B.A.” | “The meeting went great,” she told reporters. “It was really nice to be up, and I was honored to be asked to come in. Anytime I think the president-elect of the United States asks you to come in for a conversation, you’re happy to do that. We talked about business and entrepreneurs and creating jobs, and we talked about S.B.A.” |
| Her connections to Mr. Trump go beyond their mutual love of bloated men in spandex suits. Her net worth, estimated at around $855 million, would put her in the same income brackets as the candidates tapped to be the secretaries of Commerce, Treasury and Education, as well as the deputy Commerce secretary. | Her connections to Mr. Trump go beyond their mutual love of bloated men in spandex suits. Her net worth, estimated at around $855 million, would put her in the same income brackets as the candidates tapped to be the secretaries of Commerce, Treasury and Education, as well as the deputy Commerce secretary. |
| Senate Democrats, unable to get their Republican counterparts involved, are looking at a new recruit to examine allegations of Russian tampering with the elections: President Obama. | |
| In a letter, written by Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon and signed by fellow members of the intelligence committee, seven senior Democrats asked the president to declassify and release “additional information concerning the Russian Government and the U.S. election.” They cryptically added: “We are conveying specifics through classified channels.” | |
| The Office of Government Ethics is usually a pretty quiet corner of the federal government, but when ethics officials thought that the president-elect had vowed to sell off all of his assets into a blind trust, they came alive. | |
| In a series of Twitter posts, the ethics office was full of praise ... for something Mr. Trump hasn’t actually done yet. | |
| Then: | |
| And: | |
| And finally, the coup de grâce: | |
| In fact, Mr. Trump has not said exactly what he will do, beyond a promised news conference on Dec. 15 to reveal his plans for his business empire. | |
| Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan who has built a reputation as a fierce prosecutor of public corruption cases, said on Wednesday that he intended to remain in office under President-elect Trump’s administration. | Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan who has built a reputation as a fierce prosecutor of public corruption cases, said on Wednesday that he intended to remain in office under President-elect Trump’s administration. |
| Mr. Bharara, who was appointed in 2009 by Mr. Obama, disclosed his intention to stay on after emerging from a meeting with the president-elect at Trump Tower. | Mr. Bharara, who was appointed in 2009 by Mr. Obama, disclosed his intention to stay on after emerging from a meeting with the president-elect at Trump Tower. |
| Mr. Bharara told reporters that Mr. Trump had asked to meet with him to discuss “whether or not I’d be prepared to stay on as the United States attorney to do the work as we have done it, independently, without fear or favor for the last seven years.” | Mr. Bharara told reporters that Mr. Trump had asked to meet with him to discuss “whether or not I’d be prepared to stay on as the United States attorney to do the work as we have done it, independently, without fear or favor for the last seven years.” |
| “We had a good meeting,” Mr. Bharara continued. “I said I would absolutely consider staying on. I agreed to stay on.” | “We had a good meeting,” Mr. Bharara continued. “I said I would absolutely consider staying on. I agreed to stay on.” |
| Mr. Bharara said that he had already talked to Senator Jeff Sessions, the Republican of Alabama who is Mr. Trump’s choice to be attorney general. “He also asked that I stay on, and so I expect that I will be continuing,” Mr. Bharara said. | Mr. Bharara said that he had already talked to Senator Jeff Sessions, the Republican of Alabama who is Mr. Trump’s choice to be attorney general. “He also asked that I stay on, and so I expect that I will be continuing,” Mr. Bharara said. |
| Appearing on the business cable channel CNBC, Steven Mnuchin, Mr. Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary, made a series of promises and pledges sure to be remembered in the years to come: | Appearing on the business cable channel CNBC, Steven Mnuchin, Mr. Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary, made a series of promises and pledges sure to be remembered in the years to come: |
| ■ Mr. Trump’s tax cuts will be huge, with the corporate tax rate dropping to 15 percent from 35 percent. Mr. Mnuchin said: | ■ Mr. Trump’s tax cuts will be huge, with the corporate tax rate dropping to 15 percent from 35 percent. Mr. Mnuchin said: |
| ■ But it will provide no net benefit to the rich. | ■ But it will provide no net benefit to the rich. |
| Details? Not many, but he did hint that he will push to cap the mortgage deduction for mega-mansions and second homes. | Details? Not many, but he did hint that he will push to cap the mortgage deduction for mega-mansions and second homes. |
| ■ The Trump administration expects sustained economic growth of 3 percent to 4 percent a year. “That is absolutely critical for the country,” Mr. Mnuchin said. | ■ The Trump administration expects sustained economic growth of 3 percent to 4 percent a year. “That is absolutely critical for the country,” Mr. Mnuchin said. |
| Critical, perhaps, but difficult, considering the United States has not seen consistent growth like that since the 1990s. | Critical, perhaps, but difficult, considering the United States has not seen consistent growth like that since the 1990s. |
| ■ The Trump administration will label China a currency manipulator “if we determine” that’s warranted. | ■ The Trump administration will label China a currency manipulator “if we determine” that’s warranted. |
| ■ The top regulatory priority will be eliminating “parts” of the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory overhaul that discourage lending, but the administration will not push for a full repeal. Mr. Mnuchin: | ■ The top regulatory priority will be eliminating “parts” of the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory overhaul that discourage lending, but the administration will not push for a full repeal. Mr. Mnuchin: |
| The president-elect is full of surprises, but absent a big one, Wednesday morning’s announcements may be all we get for the rest of the week. | The president-elect is full of surprises, but absent a big one, Wednesday morning’s announcements may be all we get for the rest of the week. |
| In addition to Mr. Mnuchin, there were Wilbur Ross, a billionaire investor, for commerce secretary, and Todd Ricketts, part of the Ameritrade fortune and a part owner of the Chicago Cubs, for deputy commerce secretary. | In addition to Mr. Mnuchin, there were Wilbur Ross, a billionaire investor, for commerce secretary, and Todd Ricketts, part of the Ameritrade fortune and a part owner of the Chicago Cubs, for deputy commerce secretary. |
| The Trump cabinet, assuming it is confirmed, will be worth billions of dollars (add Mr. Trump’s previously announced education secretary pick, Betsy DeVos of the Amway fortune). But the team is not shying away from its Wall Street and moneyed roots. | The Trump cabinet, assuming it is confirmed, will be worth billions of dollars (add Mr. Trump’s previously announced education secretary pick, Betsy DeVos of the Amway fortune). But the team is not shying away from its Wall Street and moneyed roots. |
| Mr. Mnuchin said on CNBC: | Mr. Mnuchin said on CNBC: |
| With Republicans expected to hold 52 seats in the Senate, blocking confirmation would be hard, but Democrats signaled that both men would face tough questioning. | With Republicans expected to hold 52 seats in the Senate, blocking confirmation would be hard, but Democrats signaled that both men would face tough questioning. |
| Mr. Mnuchin’s time atop a Los Angeles bank known for its foreclosures will definitely come up, as suggested by a joint comment released Wednesday by Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont. | Mr. Mnuchin’s time atop a Los Angeles bank known for its foreclosures will definitely come up, as suggested by a joint comment released Wednesday by Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont. |
| Among the president-elect himself, his commerce secretary pick, his deputy commerce pick, his education secretary choice and his prospective Treasury secretary, much of Mr. Trump’s team ranges from multimillionaires to billionaires. And that doesn’t include Ms. McMahon, no slouch on the money front. | Among the president-elect himself, his commerce secretary pick, his deputy commerce pick, his education secretary choice and his prospective Treasury secretary, much of Mr. Trump’s team ranges from multimillionaires to billionaires. And that doesn’t include Ms. McMahon, no slouch on the money front. |
| So is the incoming administration truly populist? | So is the incoming administration truly populist? |
| Anthony Scaramucci, the financier and Trump transition official, had some thoughts Wednesday: | Anthony Scaramucci, the financier and Trump transition official, had some thoughts Wednesday: |
| Are millionaires and billionaires really “draining the swamp”? | Are millionaires and billionaires really “draining the swamp”? |
| Mary Fallin, Oklahoma’s conservative Republican governor, is under consideration for interior secretary. Ms. Fallin had been floated as a potential vice-presidential nominee shortly before the Republican National Convention over the summer. Her aide, Steve Mullins, is also being mentioned for a top staff post if she gets the job. | Mary Fallin, Oklahoma’s conservative Republican governor, is under consideration for interior secretary. Ms. Fallin had been floated as a potential vice-presidential nominee shortly before the Republican National Convention over the summer. Her aide, Steve Mullins, is also being mentioned for a top staff post if she gets the job. |
| With Alabama and New Mexico certifying their votes, an update is in order. Hillary Clinton’s popular vote lead over Mr. Trump climbed overnight to 2,370,700 — or 1.8 percentage points. Eleven states and the District of Columbia now record a higher percentage of votes for Mrs. Clinton than President Obama received in 2012. | With Alabama and New Mexico certifying their votes, an update is in order. Hillary Clinton’s popular vote lead over Mr. Trump climbed overnight to 2,370,700 — or 1.8 percentage points. Eleven states and the District of Columbia now record a higher percentage of votes for Mrs. Clinton than President Obama received in 2012. |
| Mr. Trump said on Wednesday that he would leave his “great business in total” before moving into the Oval Office, promising further details next month about his efforts to avoid conflicts of interest as he becomes the nation’s 45th president. | Mr. Trump said on Wednesday that he would leave his “great business in total” before moving into the Oval Office, promising further details next month about his efforts to avoid conflicts of interest as he becomes the nation’s 45th president. |
| It is unclear whether the steps Mr. Trump is prepared to take would be enough to satisfy ethics experts who say that putting his children in charge of the business would not be enough to ensure that his official decisions are independent of his personal financial ones. His daughter Ivanka has attended a number of meetings with heads of state since the election, and she would be one of the main officers of the Trump Organization. | It is unclear whether the steps Mr. Trump is prepared to take would be enough to satisfy ethics experts who say that putting his children in charge of the business would not be enough to ensure that his official decisions are independent of his personal financial ones. His daughter Ivanka has attended a number of meetings with heads of state since the election, and she would be one of the main officers of the Trump Organization. |
| In an interview with The New York Times last week, Mr. Trump said that presidents “can’t have a conflict of interest” and that it would be extremely difficult to sell his businesses because they are real estate holdings. | In an interview with The New York Times last week, Mr. Trump said that presidents “can’t have a conflict of interest” and that it would be extremely difficult to sell his businesses because they are real estate holdings. |