Vice President-elect Mike Pence and President-elect Donald Trump.
Vice President-elect Mike Pence and President-elect Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — President-elect Donald Trump has continued to shakeup and shift his transition team around with just 65 days remaining until he assumes the role in the Oval Office.
Trump’s top advisers were seen coming and going from his tower in Midtown Manhattan Tuesday, amid a flurry of changes in his transition team. Vice President-elect Mike Pence — who is now leading the transition team — is revamping almost everything. He got things started by purging the transition entirely of any lobbyists who were members.
The move has left the team temporarily short-staffed, but closer to the campaign’s promise to “drain the swamp.”
Very organized process taking place as I decide on Cabinet and many other positions. I am the only one who knows who the finalists are!
On Wednesday morning, Mr. Trump took to Twitter to deny a New York Times story that depicted chaos in the transition process.
His campaign advisers insist the stories of spats in the transition team have been overblown, but do agree there is an amateur look and feel to their first week on the job, according to CBS News’ Major Garrett.
The failing @nytimes story is so totally wrong on transition. It is going so smoothly. Also, I have spoken to many foreign leaders.
Trump made an attempt to sneak out of his tower Tuesday night for dinner, after his staff told reporters he’d be staying in for the evening. Earlier in the day, Trump met with Pence for more than six hours to get his transition team back on track. The two reportedly discussed cabinet nominations and early legislation of their administration.
Former Goldman Sachs partner and Trump supporter Steven Mnuchin is believed to be the frontrunner for treasury secretary.
Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions is currently believed to be the favorite for Attorney General.
Also spotted at Trump Tower Tuesday night were former campaign nemesis Ted Cruz, as well as retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who served as a national security adviser on Trump’s campaign.
Frank Gaffney Jr. has also joined the national security transition team. Gaffney was labeled by the Southern Poverty Law Center as “one of America’s most notorious Islamophobes,” and who last year defended Trump’s proposed Muslim ban as “common sense.” Questions have also been raised about Trump’s purported candidates for secretary of state — former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani has been pegged as the top pick, his private team reportedly held contracts with the government of Qatar.
Giuliani has also given paid speeches to an Iranian opposition group that was once on the State Department’s list of terrorist organizations.
Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the Senate by one seat, meaning any defection — by senators like Rand Paul — could pose a serious roadblock to confirming Trump’s top cabinet picks.
