An administration shuffle is underway in Washington.
Our live coverage has ended. Scroll through the posts below to see how the day played out, and read more about Trump’s Cabinet shakeup here.
As news about Trump administration shuffles involving the attorney general and the US ambassador to the UN posts swirl, the President is tweeting about a different shakeup from months ago.
Trump called former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson “dumb as a rock” and “lazy as hell,” while he praised his replacement, Mike Pompeo.
Trump fired Tillerson back in March and nominated Pompeo, then the CIA director, for the role.
Here’s the tweet from this afternoon:
Hear more:
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said Trump’s attorney general pick, William Barr, must commit to allowing the special counsel’s investigation to go on “unimpeded” in order to be confirmed.
Given President Trump’s demonstrated lack of regard for the rule of law and the independence of the American justice system, his nominee for attorney general will have a steep hill to climb in order to be confirmed by the Senate,” Schumer said in a statement.
He also added that Barr must be willing to allow the final report from the special counsel’s office to be “be made available to Congress and the public immediately upon completion.”
Here’s the full statement from Schumer:
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called President Trump’s nomination of William Barr to be attorney general “deeply concerning,” saying Barr has encouraged Trump to “use the Justice Department as a political weapon.”
“This nomination is the latest in the President’s pattern of installing partisan hacks in the highest reaches of our government who will happily do his bidding,” she said in a statement.
Read more of her statement:
President Trump touted his selection of William Barr as his next attorney general Friday at the start of remarks to a law enforcement conference in Kansas City.
“Bill previously led the Justice Department with distinction as attorney general under George H.W. Bush following his unanimous confirmation by the United States Senate,” Trump said.
The President highlighted Barr’s “unwavering adherence to the rule of law, which the people in this room like to hear.”
Trump took the stage after Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker introduced him. Whitaker also spoke about Barr’s nomination.
“And let me say, as a point of personal privilege, that the President’s selection of Bill Barr as the next attorney general is a continuation of this law and order presidency,” he said. “Bill is supremely qualified, highly respected at the Department of Justice, and will continue to support the men and women in blue. I commend the president for this excellent choice.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican of Iowa who serves as the chair of the Judiciary Committee, praised William Barr as “a talented, well-respected lawyer who has been committed to public service over the course of his long career.”
Barr was “more than well-qualified to lead the Department of Justice again,” Grassley said in a statement.
In a 1992 interview with Larry King, newly nominated attorney general William Barr said he was in favor of special counsel mechanisms — as long as the special counsel was also accountable to somebody else.
“The attorney general, however, also has a policy position, and to that extent, if he’s pursuing the policies of the administration, he is subordinate to the president and carries out the president’s policy.”
Watch the interview here:
Some critics are expressing skepticism that Heather Nauert has sufficient experience for the job, especially in comparison to her predecessors.
Peter Yeo, Senior VP of the UN Foundation, told CNN that “Nauert’s selection doesn’t fit the traditional mold for a US Ambassador to the UN.”
“She has been a communicator more than a policy person, so she’ll be quickly put to the test with the on-the-spot negotiations required at the UN,” he said.
Experience matters less to the President, an avid fan of Fox News, than Nauert’s loyalty to the White House, the fact that she’s a woman, and her ability to be a polished proxy on television, according to sources familiar with his thinking.
Despite Nauert’s TV savvy, however, current and former colleagues wonder if she will be prepared or equipped to navigate the gritty behind-the-scenes work of UN negotiations.
She is also taking the position amid a roster of thorny global challenges, ranging from North Korea’s nuclear program to Yemen’s famine and the growing divide between the US and its closest allies over the Iran nuclear deal, climate change and other issues.
White House chief of staff John Kelly was interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller’s team in recent months, three people with knowledge of the matter told CNN.
Kelly responded to a narrow set of questions from special counsel investigators after White House lawyers initially objected to Mueller’s request to do the interview earlier this summer, the sources said.
Why we’ve been talking about Kelly today: Kelly is widely expected to leave his position in the coming days and is no longer on speaking terms with President Donald Trump, CNN reported earlier Friday.
Kelly is the latest high-ranking White House official known to provide information for Mueller’s investigation, though his interview marks a departure of sorts since Kelly didn’t join the White House until July 2017. Most of the dozens of other interviews have been with people who were associated with the Trump campaign, were part of the transition or served in the early part of the administration.
Read more about Kelly’s interview with Mueller here.
Watch for more details:
GLAAD, an LGBTQ media advocacy organization, released a statement Friday expressing concern about William Barr as the pick for attorney general, citing a history of anti-LGBTQ positions and statements.
“William Barr, who has wrongfully suggested that LGBTQ people – not Trump and his destructive policies – have harmed the United States, is the latest in a long line of replacements who President Trump has appointed to his Cabinet who are just as anti-LGBTQ as their predecessors,” Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD, said in the statement.
The statement included some of Barr’s past statements; for instance, he advocated for Catholic education and bemoaned “the homosexual movement” in a 2017 paper.
The shuffle in the White House follows a familiar pattern. President Donald Trump’s administration has been marked by a series of exits by high-ranking officials; Jeff Sessions and Nikki Haley, whose replacements Trump announced today, are just the most recent casualties.
Here are some notable officials who have come and gone:
Read more about who else has left, and how long they lasted.
Watch: Trump administration’s big exits in 2018
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina released a statement Friday praising William Barr as a pick for the next attorney general, calling it an “outstanding decision.”
“Well done Mr. President,” Graham added at the end of the statement.
President Trump just confirmed he will be nominating William Barr and Heather Nauert, praising both on Twitter.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a statement on Friday expressing concern over President Donald Trump’s nomination of William Barr as the next attorney general.
“The Senate must press Barr to adhere to the obligation of the Justice Department to defend the rights of all – immigrants, women, people of color, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities. Barr must commit to defending the rule of law and civil rights, not serving as a political arm of Trump’s anti-constitutional agenda.”
United Nations Secretary General spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told CNN Friday, “We look forward to working with her [Nauert] when she assumes her functions.”
He added “The UN Secretary-General had a good working relationship with Nikki Haley and looks forward to her successor”.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, also welcomed Nauert’s nomination. In a statement on Friday, Danon said, “Ms. Nauert has stood by the State of Israel in her previous positions, and I have no doubt that the cooperation between our two countries will continue to strengthen as ambassador to the UN.”
Danon also gave a nod to the Nauert’s predecessor, Nikki Haley, saying she “will always be a true friend of the State of Israel.”
Officials at the Department of Justice are thrilled with William Barr’s nomination as the next attorney general, according to multiple current and former officials. He’s universally seen as solid, reliable conservative, but also someone who can get confirmed.
One lawyer who had been nervous for the President’s pick said the choice of Barr was good for morale.
The source called Barr a “very mature choice,” and said when Barr emerged as the frontrunner, people at Justice Department were hoping he’d be the pick “because he’s tough he’s principled and he’s independent.”
Chuck Cooper, Sessions’ lawyer, also praised the pick, saying Barr served “honorably and well, earning the respect of people on both sides of the aisle. He is a fine man and a great choice to head the department.”
As for how quickly Barr could be confirmed, one congressional source notes it’s usually at least two months from nomination to confirmation, and said if the appropriate paperwork gets to the Hill in time, a hearing could be held in January.
In light of the President’s decision to nominate William Barr to replace Jeff Sessions as attorney general, here is a brief collection of comments Barr has made on big topics.
May 12, 2017: Barr writes a Washington Post op-ed “Former attorney general: Trump made the right call on Comey”
July 5, 2017: Barr tells the Washington Post that he would have liked Mueller have more balance on his team
May 18, 2017: Barr tells the World he is “confident” Mueller won’t let the investigation “degenerate into a sprawling, ceaseless witch hunt”
June 17, 2017, Barr told The Hill an obstruction investigation is “asinine,” when asked about a media report, and warns the Special Counsel risks “taking on the look of an entirely political operation to overthrow the president.’”
Nov 17, 2017, Barr tells the NYT what he would do in Sessions’ situation with the President’s pressure to investigate Hillary Clinton
Nov 3, 2017, Barr tells the Washington Post there is nothing wrong with the President saying he thinks an area should be investigated
John Kelly is expected to resign as White House chief of staff in the coming days, two sources familiar with the situation unfolding in the West Wing tell CNN.
Seventeen months in, Kelly and President Donald Trump have reached a stalemate in their relationship and it is no longer seen as tenable by either party. Though Trump asked Kelly over the summer to stay on as chief of staff for two more years, the two have stopped speaking in recent days.
Trump is actively discussing a replacement plan, though a person involved in the process said nothing is final right now and ultimately nothing is final until Trump announces it. Potential replacements include Nick Ayers, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, who is still seen as a leading contender.
Kelly has been on the verge of resigning or being fired before, only to bounce back every time. But aides feel the relationship can’t be salvaged this time. Trump is becoming increasingly concerned about Democrats taking over the House in January, and has privately said he needs someone else to help shape the last two years of his first term, which he predicts will be politically focused. He has complained repeatedly that Kelly is not politically savvy.
Watch: John Kelly expected to resign soon
President Donald Trump announced Friday that he is nominating William Barr, a veteran Washington lawyer, as his next attorney general.
In his announcement, Trump called Barr “one of the most respected jurists in the country, highly respected lawyer… a terrific man, a terrific person, a brilliant man.”
Here’s what we know about Barr:
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, a Texas Republican who sits on the Judiciary Committee, called Barr an “interesting pick” on Thursday.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said she was unfamiliar with Barr’s views but encouraged by a suggestion that he was an “establishment” Republican. “I would hope (Trump) would pick someone who would be by the book and not by the politics,” Feinstein said.
President Donald Trump announced Friday that State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert is his choice to succeed Nikki Haley as US ambassador to the United Nations.
“She’s very talented, very smart, very quick, and I think she’s going to be respected by all,” Trump predicted.
Nauert, a former Fox News host who arrived at the State Department in 2017, would be a relatively inexperienced newcomer in one of the most high-profile positions in US diplomacy.
Trump said Nauert has “done a great job working with Mike Pompeo and others at the State Department.”
Her nomination sets the stage for a potentially tough Senate confirmation hearing, where Democrats will likely grill Nauert on her qualifications for the position.
In an administration rife with internal conflict and deeply distrustful of the UN, Nauert’s nomination would place a less senior person at the international agency than Haley, who reportedly sparred with other administration officials.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton have both said they want the UN position downgraded from the Cabinet-level job Haley had insisted on.
Watch: Trump confirms Heather Nauert will succeed Nikki Haley
